Ohio County Resources
This entry was originally written by Carol L. Maki and Michael John Neill for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
Ohio generally does not have any birth and death records prior to 1867. From 1867 to 1908 birth and death records were recorded at the probate court office in the county where the event occurred. After 1908 the event was recorded at the county's health department and also with the Vital Records Office in Columbus. A marriage record before 1949 (see Vital Records) will be found in the probate court office of the county where the event occurred. Deeds will be found in the county recorders office from the county's formation to the present.
In mailing requests to any Ohio county office, use the name of the county and 'County Courthouse' with the address listed below. The address given is that listed as the county government building. In some cases, some records are located at another address. Ann Fenley lists some of these in The Ohio Open Records Law and Genealogy (Dayton, Ohio: Ohio Connection, 1989). Carol Willsey Bell, Ohio Wills and Estates to 1850: An Index (Columbus, Ohio: the author, 1980) lists several courthouses known to have had destructive fires. Note, however, that not all records were destroyed in these fires and that there may have been other fires or disasters. Before making any presumptions that the records have been lost, request the records needed. The courthouse fires listed by Bell are as follows:
Adams, 1910; Belmont, 1980; Brown, 1977; Champaign, 1948; Columbiana, 1976; Crawford, 1831; Delaware, 1835; Fayette, 1828; Franklin, 1879; Fulton, before 1860; Gallia, 1981; Hamilton, 1814, 1849, 1884; Henry, 1847; Licking, 1875; Monroe, 1840, 1867; Seneca, 1841; and Trumbull, 1895.
The following list of counties indicates the county seat; the year the county was created; if different, the year it was fully organized for record keeping (in parentheses); and the parent county from which it was formed. Under parent county are some county names with an (*) to indicate that records may also be found there since the county may have been 'attached' to those other counties for some period in its history.
The date listed for each record category is the earliest record known to exist in that county. It does not indicate that there are numerous records for that year and certainly does not indicate that all such events that year were actually registered. In some cases there may be lapses in records after the beginning year listed. For example, Adams County has birth and death records beginning in 1888, but only through 1893.
In addition to sources used for all states (see page 16), information for the County Resources section was obtained from Bell's Ohio Guide to Genealogical Sources (see Background Sources for Ohio) and the following:
- Fenley, Ann. Ohio Open Records Law and Genealogy. Dayton, Ohio: Ohio Connection, 1989.
| Map | County | County Address | Date Formed | Parent County(ies) | Birth | Marriage | Death | Land | Probate | Court |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H3 | Adams | 110 W. Main, West Union 45693 | 1797 | Hamilton/Washington | 1888 | 1910 | 1888 | 1797 | 1849 | |
| C2 | Allen | 301 N. Main St., Lima 45802 | 1820 (1831) | Shelby/Logan *Mercer | 1867 | 1831 | 1867 | 1831 | 1835 | 1831 |
| C5 | Ashland | W. Second St., Ashland 44805 | 1846 | Huron/Lorain/Richland/Wayne | 1867 | 1846 | 1867 | 1846 | 1846 | 1846 |
| A8 | Ashtabula | 25 W. Jefferson St., Jefferson 44047 | 1808 (1811) | Geauga/Trumbull | 1867 | 1812 | 1867 | 1798 | 1811 | |
| G6 | Athens | Athens 45701 | 1805 | Washington | 1867 | 1817 | 1867 | 1792 | 1800 | 1807 |
| D2 | Auglaize | 201 Willipie St., Wapakoneta 45895 | 1848 | Allen/Mercer | 1867 | 1848 | 1867 | 1835 | 1852 | 1848 |
| E8 | Belmont | 101 W. Main St., St. Clairsville 43950 | 1801 | Jefferson/Washington | 1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1800 | 1804 | 1804 |
| H2 | Brown | Georgetown 45121 | 1818 | Adams/Clermont | 1867 | 1818 | 1867 | 1818 | 1817 | 1818 |
| G1 | Butler | 101 High St., Hamilton 45012 | 1803 | Hamilton | 1856 | 1803 | 1856 | 1803 | 1851 | 1803 |
| D7 | Carroll | 119 Public Sq., Carrollton 44615 | 1833 | Columbiana/Harrison/Jefferson/Stark/Tuscarawas | 1867 | 1833 | 1867 | 1826 | 1833 | 1833 |
| E3 | Champaign | 200 N. Main, Urbana 43078 | 1805 | Franklin/Greene | 1867 | 1805 | 1867 | 1806 | 1804 | 1805 |
| E3 | Clark | P.O. Box 1008, Springfield 45502 | 1818 | Champaign/Greene/Madison | 1867 | 1818 | 1867 | 1818 | 1818 | 1818 |
| H2 | Clermont | 76 S. Riverside, Batavia 45103 | 1800 | Hamilton | 1856 | 1801 | 1856 | 1800 | 1810 | 1801 |
| G3 | Clinton | 46 S. South St., Wilmington 45177 | 1810 | Highland/Warren | 1868 | 1817 | 1867 | 1806 | 1810 | 1810 |
| C8 | Columbiana | 105 S. Market St., Lisbon 44432 | 1803 | Jefferson | 1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1798 | 1803 | 1803 |
| E6 | Coshocton | 349 1/2 Main St., Coshocton 43812 | 1810 (1811) | Muskingum/Tuscarawas | 1867 | 1811 | 1867 | 1800 | 1811 | 1811 |
| C4 | Crawford | 112 E. Mansfield St., Bucyrus 44820 | 1820 (1826) | Delaware *Seneca*/Sandusky/*Marion | 1866 | 1831 | 1868 | 1816 | 1831 | 1831 |
| B6 | Cuyahoga | 2905 Franklin Blvd. NW, Cleveland 44113 | 1808 (1810) | Geauga | 1867 | 1810 | 1867 | 1810 | 1811 | 1823 |
| E1 | Darke | Fourth and Broadway, Greenville 45331 | 1809 (1817) | Miami | 1867 | 1817 | 1867 | 1822 | 1818 | 1817 |
| B1 | Defiance | 500 Court St., Defiance 43512 | 1845 | Henry/Paulding/Williams | 1867 | 1845 | 1867 | 1823 | 1845 | 1845 |
| E4 | Delaware | 91 N. Sandusky, Delaware 43015 | 1808 | Franklin | 1867 | 1835 | 1867 | 1807 | 1812 | 1818 |
| B5 | Erie | 323 Columbus Ave., Sandusky 44870 | 1838 (1838) | Huron/Sandusky | 1856 | 1838 | 1856 | 1837 | 1838 | 1838 |
| F5 | Fairfield | 210 E. Main, Rm. 301, Lancaster 43130 | 1800 | Ross/Washington | 1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1801 | 1803 | 1801 |
| F3 | Fayette | 110 E. Court, Washington Courthouse 43160 | 1810 | Highland/Ross | 1867 | 1810 | 1867 | 1810 | 1810 | 1882 |
| E4 | Franklin | 373 S. High St., Columbus 43215 | 1803 | Ross/unorganized | 1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1800 | 1805 | 1803 |
| A2 | Fulton | 210 S. Fulton, Wauseon 43567 | 1850 | Henry/Lucas/Williams | 1867 | 1864 | 1867 | 1835 | 1853 | 1850 |
| H5 | Gallia | Locust St., Gallipolis 45613 | 1803 | Washington | 1864 | 1803 | 1867 | 1803 | 1803 | 1811 |
| B7 | Geauga | Chardon 44024 | 1806 | Trumbull | 1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1795 | 1806 | 1806 |
| F2 | Greene | 45 N. Detroit St., Xenia 45385 | 1803 | Hamilton/Ross/ | 1869 | 1803 | 1870 | 1798 | 1803 | 1802 |
| E7 | Guernsey | 801 E. Wheeling Ave., Cambridge 43725 | 1810 | Belmont/Muskingum | 1867 | 1810 | 1867 | 1802 | 1812 | 1810 |
| G1 | Hamilton | 1000 Main St., Cincinnati 45202 | 1790 | original | 1863 | 1808 | 1881 | 1787 | 1790 | 1844 |
| C3 | Hancock | 300 S. Main, Findlay 45840 | 1820 (1828) | Logan/Delaware *Wood | 1867 | 1828 | 1867 | 1820 | 1828 | 1828 |
| D3 | Hardin | Kenton 43326 | 1820 (1833) | Logan/Delaware | 1867 | 1833 | 1867 | 1831 | 1830 | 1833 |
| E7 | Harrison | Cadiz 43907 | 1813 | Jefferson/Tuscarawas | 1867 | 1813 | 1867 | 1812 | 1813 | 1814 |
| B2 | Henry | 660 N. Perry, Napoleon 43545 | 1820 (1834) | Logan/Shelby *Wood/*Williams | 1867 | 1847 | 1867 | 1846 | 1847 | 1847 |
| G3 | Highland | P.O. Box 825, Hillsboro 45135 | 1805 | Adams/Clermont/Ross | 1867 | 1805 | 1868 | 1804 | 1809 | 1805 |
| F5 | Hocking | 1 E. Main St., Logan 43138 | 1818 | Athens/Ross/Fairfield | 1867 | 1818 | 1867 | 1818 | 1819 | 1818 |
| D6 | Holmes | 1 E. Jackson St., Millersburg 44654 | 1824 (1825) | Coshocton/Tuscarawas/Wayne | 1867 | 1821 | 1867 | 1808 | 1825 | 1825 |
| B5 | Huron | 2 E. Main St., Norwalk 44857 | 1809 (1815) | Portage/Geauga *Cuyahoga | 1867 | 1818 | 1867 | 1809 | 1815 | 1818 |
| H5 | Jackson | Jackson 45640 | 1816 | Athens/Gallia/Ross/Scioto | 1867 | 1816 | 1867 | 1816 | 1819 | 1816 |
| D8 | Jefferson | 301 Market St., Steubenville 43952 | 1797 | Washington | 1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1795 | 1798 | 1803 |
| D5 | Knox | 106 E. High St., Mt. Vernon 43050 | 1808 | Fairfield/Franklin | 1867 | 1808 | 1867 | 1808 | 1808 | 1808 |
| A7 | Lake | 47 N. Park Place, Painesville 44077 | 1840 (1840) | Cuyahoga/Geauga | 1867 | 1840 | 1867 | 1839 | 1853 | 1840 |
| J5 | Lawrence | 1 Veterans Sq., Ironton 45638 | 1815 (1817) | Gallia/Scioto | 1864 | 1817 | 1867 | 1818 | 1846 | 1817 |
| E5 | Licking | Courthouse Sq., Newark 43055 | 1808 | Fairfield | 1875 | 1809 | 1875 | 1800 | 1875 | 1809 |
| D3 | Logan | P.O. Box 429, Bellefontaine 43311 | 1818 | Champaign | 1867 | 1818 | 1867 | 1810 | 1851 | 1804 |
| B5 | Lorain | 308 Second St., Elyria 44035 | 1822 (1824) | Cuyahoga/Huron/Medina | 1867 | 1824 | 1867 | 1840 | 1824 | |
| A3 | Lucas | 800 Adams St, Toledo 43624 | 1835 | Wood/Sandusky | 1867 | 1835 | 1868 | 1808 | 1835 | 1835 |
| F3 | Madison | 1 N. Main St., London 43140 | 1810 | Franklin | 1867 | 1810 | 1888 | 1810 | 1810 | 1810 |
| C8 | Mahoning | 120 Market St., Youngstown 44503 | 1846 | Columbiana/Trumbull | 1856 | 1846 | 1856 | 1795 | 1846 | 1847 |
| D4 | Marion | 100 N. Main St., Marion 43302 | 1820 (1824) | Delaware | 1867 | 1824 | 1867 | 1821 | 1825 | 1824 |
| C6 | Medina | 93 Public Sq., Medina 43302 | 1812 (1818) | Portage | 1867 | 1818 | 1867 | 1818 | 1818 | 1818 |
| G6 | Meigs | Second St., Pomeroy 45769 | 1819 | Athens/Gallia | 1867 | 1819 | 1867 | 1819 | 1820 | 1819 |
| D1 | Mercer | 101 N. Main, Celina 45822 | 1820 (1824) | Darke/Shelby | 1867 | 1838 | 1867 | 1823 | 1824 | 1824 |
| E2 | Miami | 215 W. Main St., Troy 45373 | 1807 | Montgomery | 1853 | 1807 | 1867 | 1807 | 1807 | 1804 |
| F7 | Monroe | 101 N. Main St., Woodsfield 43793 | 1813 (1815) | Belmont/Guernsey/Washington | 1867 | 1866 | 1867 | 1836 | 1840 | 1818 |
| F2 | Montgomery | 451 W. Third St., Dayton 45402 | 1803 | Hamilton | 1867 | 1803 | 1866 | 1805 | 1803 | 1803 |
| F6 | Morgan | 19 E. Main St., McConnelsville 43756 | 1817 (1819) | Guernsey/Muskingum/Washington | 1867 | 1819 | 1867 | 1795 | 1819 | 1819 |
| D4 | Morrow | 48 E. High St., Mt. Gilead 43338 | 1848 | Delaware/Knox/Marion/Richland | 1867 | 1848 | 1867 | 1848 | 1848 | 1848 |
| E6 | Muskingum | 401 Main St., Zanesville 43701 | 1804 | Fairfield/Washington | 1867 | 1804 | 1867 | 1800 | 1804 | 1804 |
| F7 | Noble | Caldwell 43724 | 1851 | Guernsey/Monroe/Morgan/Washington | 1867 | 1851 | 1867 | 1851 | 1851 | 1851 |
| B4 | Ottawa | 315 Madison St., Port Clinton 43452 | 1840 | Erie/Lucas/Sandusky | 1867 | 1840 | 1869 | 1820 | 1840 | 1840 |
| C1 | Paulding | 115 N. Williams St., Paulding 45879 | 1820 (1839) | Shelby/Darke *Williams/*Wood | 1867 | 1839 | 1867 | 1835 | 1842 | 1839 |
| F5 | Perry | New Lexington 43764 | 1818 | Fairfield/Muskingum/Washington | 1867 | 1818 | 1867 | 1818 | 1817 | 1818 |
| F4 | Pickaway | Circleville 43113 | 1810 | Fairfield/Franklin/Ross | 1867 | 1810 | 1867 | 1810 | 1810 | 1810 |
| G4 | Pike | 100 E. Second, Waverly 45690 | 1815 | Adams/Ross/Scioto | 1867 | 1815 | 1867 | 1799 | 1817 | 1815 |
| B7 | Portage | 203 W. Main, Ravenna 44266 | 1808 | Trumbull | 1867 | 1808 | 1867 | 1795 | 1803 | 1809 |
| F1 | Preble | Eaton 45320 | 1808 | Butler/Montgomery | 1867 | 1808 | 1867 | 1805 | 1808 | 1808 |
| C2 | Putnam | 245 E. Main St., Ottawa 45875 | 1820 (1834) | Shelby/Logan *Wood/*Williams | 1857 | 1834 | 1867 | 1830 | 1835 | 1834 |
| C5 | Richland | 50 Park Ave., East, Mansfield 44903 | 1808 (1813) | Franklin *Knox | 1856 | 1813 | 1890 | 1814 | 1813 | 1819 |
| G4 | Ross | 2 N. Paint St., Chillicothe 45601 | 1798 | Adams/Hamilton/Washington | 1867 | 1798 | 1867 | 1797 | 1797 | 1798 |
| B4 | Sandusky | 100 N. Park, Fremont 43420 | 1820 | Huron | 1867 | 1820 | 1867 | 1822 | 1820 | 1820 |
| H4 | Scioto | 602 Seventh St., Portsmouth 45662 | 1803 | Adams | 1856 | 1804 | 1856 | 1803 | 1810 | 1809 |
| B4 | Seneca | 103 S. Washington St., Tiffin 44883 | 1820 (1824) | Huron/Sandusky | 1867 | 1841 | 1867 | 1821 | 1828 | 1824 |
| D2 | Shelby | Sidney 45365 | 1819 | Miami | 1867 | 1824 | 1867 | 1819 | 1825 | 1819 |
| C7 | Stark | 110 Central Plaza S., 5th Floor, Canton 44702 | 1808 (1809) | Columbiana/Muskingum | 1867 | 1809 | 1867 | 1809 | 1810 | 1809 |
| B7 | Summit | 209 S. High St., Akron 44308 | 1840 (1840) | Medina/Portage/Stark | 1866 | 1840 | 1870 | 1840 | 1839 | 1840 |
| B8 | Trumbull | 160 High St., N.W., Warren 44483 | 1800 | Jefferson/Wayne County of Northwest Territory | 1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1795 | 1803 | 1807 |
| D7 | Tuscarawas | 101 E. High Ave., New Philadelphia 44663 | 1808 | Muskingum | 1867 | 1808 | 1867 | 1809 | 1808 | |
| D4 | Union | 5th & Court St., Marysville 43040 | 1820 | Delaware/Franklin/Logan/Madison | 1867 | 1820 | 1867 | 1811 | 1820 | 1820 |
| C1 | Van Wert | 101 E. Main St., Van Wert 45891 | 1820 (1837) | Darke/Shelby *Mercer | 1867 | 1840 | 1867 | 1824 | 1840 | 1837 |
| G5 | Vinton | 100 E. Main St., McArthur 45651 | 1850 | Athens/Gallia/Hocking/Jackson/Ross | 1867 | 1850 | 1867 | 1850 | 1852 | 1850 |
| G2 | Warren | 320 E. Silver St., Lebanon 45036 | 1803 | Hamilton | 1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1795 | 1803 | 1803 |
| F7 | Washington | 205 Putnam St., Marietta 45750 | 1788 | unorganized | 1867 | 1789 | 1867 | 1788 | 1789 | 1790 |
| C6 | Wayne | 428 W. Liberty, Wooster 44691 | 1808 (1812) | *Columbiana/*Stark | 1867 | 1813 | 1867 | 1813 | 1817 | 1812 |
| A1 | Williams | 1 Courthouse Sq., Bryan 43506 | 1820 (1824) | Darke/Shelby *Wood | 1867 | 1824 | 1867 | 1824 | 1825 | 1824 |
| B3 | Wood | 1 Courthouse Sq., Bowling Green 43402 | 1820 | Logan | 1867 | 1820 | 1867 | 1820 | 1820 | 1823 |
| C3 | Wyandot | 109 S. Sandusky Ave., Upper Sandusky 43351 | 1845 | Crawford/Hancock/Hardin/Marion | 1867 | 1845 | 1867 | 1826 | 1845 | 1845 |
